Our Team

Our collaborative team of geography academics, practitioners, educators and film-makers bring together experience from across the spectrum of geography and outdoor education. We work together to produce great content, supported by partnerships with organisations who share our ethos and vision.

Our team of geographers

Rob investigating ancient landslides in Snowdonia

Dr Rob Parker
BSc, MSc, PhDProject Coordinator

Dr Rob Parker is a geography researcher, who conducts research at top universities in the UK and abroad.

Rob is an expert in physical geography and geographical information systems (GIS), with a special interest in natural hazards. He works in the Appalachian mountains (USA) where landslides caused by hurricanes pose a danger to local communities, and areas of New Zealand, China and Taiwan, where huge earthquakes threaten tens of thousands of people. He is currently based at Cardiff University.

Tim exploring glaciated landscapesin the Lake District National Park.

Tim Parker BA, PGCELead Teacher and Examiner

Tim Parker is an experienced and innovative geography teacher, and a popular educational blogger.

A regular contributor to various education magazines and websites, including the Times Educational Supplement (TES), Tim’s lesson plans and techniques are used in classrooms across the UK. As a guest speaker at educational meetings, Tim delivers talks on motivating and raising the self-esteem of school students, to improve performance both inside and outside of the classroom.

Harriet rock climbing in Wild Iris, Wyoming, USA

Dr Harriet Ridley BSc, PhDProduction Coordinator

Dr Harriet Ridley is a palaeoclimatologist and rock climber.

Harriet is a climate change expert. Before Time for Geography she conducted research in the Caribbean and Central America, venturing into deep, tropical caves to investigate past climate using geochemical signals in stalagmites. As an adventurous rock climber, Harriet frequently undertakes international climbing expeditions, exploring some of the world’s most intriguing geological and geographical areas.

Simon on fieldwork in Madeira

Simon Ross BA, PGCECurriculum Adviser

Simon Ross is a former Head of Geography and prolific author of geographical teaching resources.

Simon has written extensively for the new GCSE and A-level specifications. He acts as a geography consultant for a variety of organisations, and has written and presented educational videos from locations around the world, including Iceland and Italy. He also delivers CPD training for teachers and students. In his spare time he enjoys running and tending his allotment!

Claire out on fieldwork in South Wales

Dr Claire Earlie

Dr Claire Earlie is a coastal geomorphology expert, conducting geographical research at universities in the U.K., France and the USA.

As a field scientist specialising in how extreme waves affect our coastlines, Claire has studied some of the biggest storms the west coast of the U.K. and France have experienced over the last century. Claire is fascinated by the ocean and how it interacts with the land, studying and teaching everything coastal. Claire is currently a Lecturer in Coastal Processes at Cardiff University.

Dr Richard Waller MA, PhD

Richard is an expert on glaciers, permafrost and the landscape impacts of Arctic climate change.

Richard has been fascinated by mountain environments since he studied geography at school. His research focuses on the distinctive processes and landforms that occur in glacial and permafrost environments, providing amazing opportunities to work in Iceland, Greenland, Norway, Alaska and the Canadian Arctic. Richard is currently a Senior Lecturer in Physical Geography at Keele University.

Dr Carol Ekinsmyth BA, PhD

Carol is a Human Geographer with expertise in cities, the creative industries and entrepreneurship.

Carol is fascinated by the relationship between places, industries and work. She is a leading scholar in the areas of self-employment, women's entrepreneurship and ways in which place and social factors influence people's working lives. Carol is a Principal Lecturer in Human Geography at the University of Portsmouth.

Prof Donald Houston BA, MSc, PhD

Donald is Professor of Economic Geography and Head of Geography at the University of Portsmouth.

Donald conducts research and advises the government on why some towns and cities succeed economically, while others do not. Donald has particular expertise in unemployment, travel to work patterns, and the changing locations of jobs and housing in cities.

Darren leading Alpine expeditions

Darren Axe BSc, IML, FRGS

Darren Axe is an international expedition leader and Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society

Darren is an International Mountain Leader (IML), Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society (FRGS) and public speaker. His mission is to engage people in exploratory journeys, in the diverse landscapes of the U.K., Europe and further afield. Darren’s work focusses on contemporary debates in sustainable development and the socio-environmental impacts of travel and expeditions.

Howard scaling Europe's largest ice cap at Vatnajökull in Iceland

Howard Parker BSc, PGCE

Howard is a geography examiner and an expert in exam performance and technique.

Howard brings a knowledgeable insight into how students can score top marks in their exams. He draws on over 15 years of experience marking exams as a subject specialist for a leading exam board and Head of Geography in an Independent School.

A senior lecturer in coastal processes and coastal management at the University of the West of England, Bristol, Chris conducts research into reconstructing Quaternary Environments in British coastal lowlands. He has an interest in Geography educational outreach, & delivers keynote lectures and workshops to schools.

Hywel on fieldwork in Wales

Dr Hywel Griffiths BSc, MSc, PhD

Hywel is an expert in the physical, historical and cultural geographies of flooding.

Hywel specialises in the geomorphological effects of floods, reconstructing flood histories and how they are perceived by society. He works mainly in Wales, but has also worked in Ireland, South America and South Africa. Hywel is a Senior Lecturer in Physical Geography in the Department of Geography and Earth Sciences, Aberystwyth University.

Sioned on fieldwork in the Canadian Rockies

Sioned Llywelyn BSc, MSc, AFHEA

Sioned is currently completing her PhD on Welsh geoheritage at the Department of Geography and Earth Sciences at Aberystwyth University.

Sioned specialises in the relationship that exists between Welsh landscapes, heritage and culture, and how integrating different forms of knowledge can attract more visitors and enhance their experiences of Welsh landscapes.

Sian on fieldwork in West Africa

Dr Sian Davies-Vollum BSc, MSc, PhD

Sian is Head of the School of Environmental Sciences at the University of Derby.

Sian specialises in sedimentology, which she uses to research the evolution of modern and ancient river and coastal environments. Fieldwork has taken her across the world with projects in Europe, North America and West Africa.

Howard on fieldwork at Stonehenge

Dr Howard Fox

Dr Howard Fox is a Senior Lecturer in Geography at the University of Derby.

Howard is a Geomorphologist who specialises in coastal geomorphology. He has worked for 25 years in southern Morocco on a variety of projects, including cliff erosion and tidal estuaries on the Atlantic coast, water supply in mountain villages and conservation of the argan woodland.

Dr Toby Tonkin

Toby is a physical geographer with an interest in terrestrial glacial landsystems.

As part of his research, Toby has deployed drones and ground-penetrating radar to sites in Sweden and Norway to help understand how glacial landscapes and landforms evolve following deglaciation. Toby currently works as a Lecturer in Physical Geography at the University of Derby.

Dr William Monteith

Will is a lecturer in human geography at Queen Mary University of London

Will's research explores experiences of work – or ‘making do’ – at the margins of formal economies; the politics and products produced by these experiences, and the ways in which they are transforming cities and societies.